He had no occasion to repeat his statement; his words carried conviction with them. The Earl started in surprise, and then gave vent to a chuckle of amusement. The Premier was quite taken aback, but in spite of the sudden pallor which overspread his face, he managed to retain his self-possession. “Since you have taken the law into your own hands, then there is no more to be said,” he returned, in a voice from which all the bombast had departed. “May I ask where the ceremony was performed?” The bridegroom produced sundry documents from his breast pocket. “We were married first at the registrar’s office at Knightsbridge, then by the Chief Rabbi in my mother’s drawing-room. If you wish to see the certificate you are welcome to do so,” he said. The Premier condescended to give the papers his examination. Then he suddenly veered round, and astonished them all by offering his congratulations. The newly-married pair were too happy to bear malice, and accepted them with satisfaction. But they could not help remarking on his sudden change of feeling when the Premier eventually took his leave. The Earl chuckled for the remainder of the day, and in his admiration for Montella’s smartness, forbore to be angry. He considered that the interfering Premier had been nicely fooled, and expressed the hope that the lesson would do him good. Montella wondered what Moore’s next move would be; he knew that he was not the man to swallow defeat. “What a strange wedding-day, dearest!” he exclaimed on the drive towards his mother’s flat—their temporary home. “We could not have been married in a quieter manner had we been the poorest couple in England. Why, even our footman had his wedding-breakfast, and a fortnight at Southend; but we have had to dispense both with festivities and honeymoon.” Patricia smiled up at him reassuringly. “Never mind, Lal, we will make up for it later on,” she returned happily. “It is Parliament’s fault, and you are still in mourning, you know. There will be plenty of time for our honeymoon when the Edict is proclaimed.” “There will be hardships for us both,” he said, with a sigh, his brow clouding. “I quail when I think of what I have brought upon you, my beloved.” She drove away his forebodings with a gentle caress. “I can bear all hardships and all troubles,” she answered, in an eager voice. “I can undergo anything—so long as I have you!” CHAPTER XII MONTELLA’S OLD NURSE